2 prompt“And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.

3 THE Literally LITERAL InterpretationSuper super literal!Do you know what this means? Because this totally means how an author writes in the background to their story. Did you know that authors very often use the environment to represent the internal feelings of a character? Or to set tone in a novel during critical moments? I bet you did you brilliant AP kid you. Now that you know those little tid bits of information, would you like to know how this actually means anything to your pathetic little lives? No? Too bad.

4 But seriously, why would anyone care?In Frankenstein, the geographical and physical surroundings foreshadow major events and define characters.The weather turns ominous before disastrous eventsThe savage nature of the creature is exemplified by the ice cave in which he makes his homeThe bride of Frankenstein was built in the Orkney Islands: isolated, desolate pieces of rock

5 Pivotal moment for victor FrankensteinVictor departs his home of Geneva to study abroad at the University of Ingolstadt.He is enclosed by a intellectual physical environment filled with professors, natural studies, and scientific books. Where he is actively indulges in the academic studies of unknown natural philosophy and chemistry.In the moment obsession and secrecy, Victor isolates himself from the social atmosphere of friends and family meanwhile decreasing his psychological health.

6 Exhibit one Victor is a lonely man. “I, who has ever been surrounded by amiable companions continually engaged in endeavoring to bestow mutual pleasure, I was now alone” (25).Victor has an obsession with science.  Victor gets sick. “In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder” (30).“While I pursued my undertaking with unremitting ardour. My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had became emaciated with confinement” (32).Victor is a lonely man again. “… never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest, or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage… And the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles absent, and whom I had not seen for a long time” (33).“I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body… but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished” (35).

7 Pivotal moment for the monsterThe culture the monster gets exposed to while spying on the De Lacey family is his first true experience with the positive side of humanity, and he basically began to worship the members of the family. “I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers” (80). “…the venerable blind father, the gentle Agatha, the excellent Felix, flitted before me. I looked upon them as superior beings…” (81). This sort of worship makes the monster’s spurning at the hands of the French family even more traumatizing, because he believes that if these shining paragons of humanity won’t accept him, then no other living human will. The feelings of rejection and isolation after he was thrown out of the cottage drive the monster to crime and depravity . “There was none among the myriads of men who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No: from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species…” (97).

8 Examples from the textThe monster’s obsession with the cottagers “I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers” (80). “…the venerable blind father, the gentle Agatha, the excellent Felix, flitted before me. I looked upon them as superior beings…” (81). “…they are the most excellent creatures in the world…” (95). The monster’s emotions after being rejected “There was none among the myriads of men who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No: from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species…” (97). “ I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me; and, finding myself unsympathised with, wished to… spread havoc and destruction around me and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin” (97).

10 Multiple NarrativeExactly as the name implies, this literary device is used to display different point-of-views of the characters instead of just focusing on one character’s perspective. This enables more variety and a better understanding of the plot, rather than just accepting the Frankenstein’s portrayal of the creature’s evil nature and readily agreeing with it. The point-of-view is switched between three characters: Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the creature. Walton’s perspective isn’t used as much as the other two, but his point-of-view is used to see Frankenstein and the creature from a third party’s perspective that isn’t involved in the story, other than serving as an observer and listener. He is an explorer that saves Frankenstein, and it is through his eyes that we see how Frankenstein ultimately meets his demise. Frankenstein’s perspective is the one that is used most often because the plot of the story revolves around him and his mistakes that would eventually lead to him losing his loved ones. He is regarded as the primary protagonist since the views are centered mostly around him. The creature’s perspective is used the second most often, and it reveals the creature’s descent towards darkness. This different outlook invoked a more sympathetic light to the creature and its reasons for vengeance. This is the secondary perspective of the novel.

11 Pathetic FallacyPathetic fallacy is a literary device that is a form of personification where inanimate objects are represented with human feelings or qualities. The inanimate objects reflect upon the mood of the character. In Frankenstein, the weather changes its state based on the emotions that are being experienced by Victor at the moment. For example, during the creation of the creature, the weather was described as a “dreary night of November… [and] the rain pattered dismally against the panes” (Shelley ). Here, pathetic fallacy reflected on Victor and his fear after he created the creature. Also, after the death of most of Victor’s loved ones, the weather became stormy again. “I was bewildered, in a cloud of wonder and horror. The death of William, the execution of Justine, the murder of Clerval, and lastly my wife… the wind was unfavorable, and the rain fell in torrents” (Shelley 146). Shortly afterwards, Victor pauses to think about Elizabeth and the weather changes yet again. “I had contemplated but the day before in the company of her who was now but a shadow and a recollection. Tears streamed from my eyes. The rain had ceased for a moment, and I saw the fish play in the waters as they had done a few hours before; they had then been observed by Elizabeth” (Shelley 146).

12 AllusionYou remember that part around the middle of the novel where the Monster and Frankenstein are sitting down and having a discussion about how disappointed the monster is in what his position has become to his creator? “Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel” (69). These elements of Christianity are readily apparent in the work of Mary Shelly and form a cultural background that definitely affected the character of Victor, giving him a false sense of power.

13 And now, AP English Literature and Composition is proud to present, in finals presentations, Group III and the Six Step Thesis.In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, the geographical surroundings, the glaciers of Chamounix, vividly portray in spite of the creature’s eloquence the inherent savagery of the daemon in order to fully convey the inhumanity of the ice cave’s host, leading Victor Frankenstein to initially reject his fallen Adam, casts a pittance of doubt over the veracity of the creature’s sole desire for a bride, and foreshadows the Arctic ice fields in which Victor finally perishes while pursuing his daemon.